"BT takes the protection of its extensive and valuable intellectual property assets very seriously," writes a BT spokeswoman, via email. "We have approached the companies concerned over their use of BT's blown cable patents but, in the absence of satisfactory responses, have litigated to enforce our rights."

The patents in question -- 4691896 and 4948097 -- describe a way of sending glass fibers through conduit by, quite literally, passing gas through the conduit or pathway that the fiber needs to follow. The gas needed, according to the patent, is typically nitrogen or air.

The patents, in typical pointy-headed terms, describe how a carrier can move the optical fibers along a path by "fluid drag of a gaseous medium passed through the pathway in the desired direction of advance." [Ed. note: Thanks, Sherman! You're welcome, Mr. Peabody!]

This fiber installation method is said to be easier and put less strain on the optical cables and fibers than conventional methods, which include pulling cable with a rope through a cable duct, the patents claim. In addition, blowing cable makes it easier to add fibers and wires to routes where more capacity is needed.

re: BT Says US Carriers Full of Hot Air well - I can think of a few ways.1. they are quite possibly still doing it.2. look at records and writen feild proceedures - as big carriers tend to do these things including training.3. then the standard is people - some people dont lie under oath and under court order - so a few of the techs would answer yes to 'did you use such and such a method to install fiber.. etc.."4. equipment to install it - did they buy it, do they cart it around, etc..

re: BT Says US Carriers Full of Hot Air well - I can think of a few ways.1. they are quite possibly still doing it.2. look at records and writen feild proceedures - as big carriers tend to do these things including training.3. then the standard is people - some people dont lie under oath and under court order - so a few of the techs would answer yes to 'did you use such and such a method to install fiber.. etc.."4. equipment to install it - did they buy it, do they cart it around, etc..

re: BT Says US Carriers Full of Hot Air ...but not many others are. Who remembers last years litigation over BT 'inventing' hyperlinks? We can expect more of this from BT, as their patent dept. is run as a profit center. And I'll bet that all the readers of lightreading have a similar view of lawyers being able to understand technology, or make money from it.

This reminds me of a story a few years back that uncovered a British Rail patent for a 'nuclear powered flying saucer' that was granted during the 60s.

re: BT Says US Carriers Full of Hot Air and if you don't believe me, here's an extract.. (weblink is below). I know this is completely off-topic, but it is such fun.

According to the present invention there is provided a space vehicle including a platform, a thermonuclear fusion zone provided at the underside of said platform, means for supplying fusion material to said zone, one or more lasers to provide for ignition of said fusion material at said fusion zone, magnetic means on said platform adapted to deflect charged particles emitted from said fusion zone and a plurality of electrodes on said platform adapted to receive charged particles emitted from said fusion zone to thereby provide a source of electrical power.

re: BT Says US Carriers Full of Hot Air Since we've diverged into weird patents, here's another one. Michael Jackson (the entertainer) holds a patent on an anti-gravity device. More specifically, the patent is titled "Method and means for creating anti-gravity illusion", and is US Patent 5,255,452, granted October 26, 1993.

[You can read more about this and other cutting edge inventions, at the US Patent and Trademark website, http://patft.uspto.gov.]

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